Waking the Dead

Synopsis: Fielding Pierce lives the life of an aspiring politician - in 1972 he's serving in the Coast Guard (trying to avoid Vietnam in the most honorable way), and by 1973 he has entered law school. Along the way he falls in love with Sarah, a fiercely idealistic woman who devotes her life to helping others - unfortunately she's killed in an explosion while assisting members of the Chilean resistance. Nine years later, in the middle of a congressional election, Fielding is suddenly flooded with thoughts and visions of his lost love.
Director(s): Keith Gordon
Production: USA Home Entertainment
  1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
6.7
Metacritic:
59
Rotten Tomatoes:
51%
R
Year:
2000
105 min
320 Views


1

A short time ago...

terror apparently struck

this quiet neighborhood...

on the outskirts of Minneapolis.

A car bomb destroyed a vehicle...

carrying two Chilean nationals...

and, apparently,

a young American woman.

The FBI is refusing comment.

However, early reports indicate

the bombing was carried out...

by Chilean government agents.

The agents were trying to stop

Francisco and Gisella Higgens...

who have been

touring around the US...

speaking out against Chile's

military dictatorship.

Minneapolis police believe the bomb

was detonated by remote control...

and that all three occupants of the car

were killed instantly.

The bodies have been removed to

Minneapolis Community General Hospital.

As for the young American woman...

it's not yet officially known,

but we have learned...

that she was Sarah Williams,

an activist from Chicago...

who was also working

with the sanctuary movement.

Sources tell us that she had made

several trips to Chile herself...

assisting in bringing

political refugees into the US.

Obviously,

the death of a young American girl...

on American shores...

will throw a whole new light

on both the sanctuary movement...

and, possibly,

on the government's relationship...

with the Chilean regime.

I'm Bill Haugland

reporting live from Minneapolis.

- Waking the Dead -

AMOR MAIOR QUE A VIDA

Hi, Fielding.

Kill anyone today?

Not yet, Tamara.

Is Danny here?

He's in his office.

I'm here to see the boss.

Who are you?

I'm his brother.

Oh!

- Go on in. He's expecting you.

- Thanks.

You're new here, right?

Do you like it here?

Yeah, I love it.

Jesus!

- Good morning, Private.

- Colonel.

It's a damn good feeling knowing you're

out there patrolling New York Harbor.

The f***in' Cong could be

shoppin' on Fifth Avenue like that.

Fielding, I want you

out of that coast guard.

- Come on!

- No, really.

I'm worried about you.

What if Nixon takes the wrong pill

and sends you guys over to Vietnam?

Name one national political leader

who hasn't served his time, Danny.

And by the way, you remember

that little coast guard song...

that you made me learn?

My new assistant just told me

what "Semper Paratus" means.

I don't like

this "Always Ready" sh*t.

I get distinct death vibes.

Your new assistant?

The girl out there?

Yeah. Sarah.

A Catholic girl.

They know their Latin.

My coast guard fights for me

And our shore's liberty

We will be strong

Semper Paratus us

Even if die we must

We'll never fail the trust

That we've been shown

- Good, let's go.

- No way. We're not done yet.

We're proud, we're true, we're brave

We fear not pain nor grave

Our tide rolls on

We'll sail the ocean blue

Coast Guard, we love you

and everybody too

I can't remember

the rest of the words

Viking's doing this book on J. Edgar

Hoover that sounds a lot like ours.

Really?

Good. Cancel ours and get us

out of the whole f***in' thing.

We don't wanna deal with the FBI.

It's just a big headache we don't need.

Ready for lunch?

- Do you mind if I join you?

- Yes.

You mind?

I mean, no.

- We'll all go together.

- Okay. I'll go get my bag.

Check it out.

Who am I?

"Yes... No..."

Very smooth.

The thing about Harvard...

for somebody from the working class,

like us...

is that there is a terrible sense

of isolation, of aloneness there.

Not to mention

I was a year younger than everyone.

It was like walking around campus with

"scholarship kid" tattooed on my head.

I do believe, though, that politics

can still make a difference.

But you have to become

a part of it.

You become one of the people

that sends the message to people...

that lying and corruption

in government is wrong.

I know that we think of law

as something that is cerebral.

I won't say that it's a courageous

stance to take, but it's a...

We know the war is evil.

It's a way for me

not to become disenfranchised...

you know, become some radical member

who is now in prison...

Should I be taking notes?

Eat your lunch.

Carry on. Sorry.

Mimi, get me Don Ragland

on the phone in my office.

Fielding, don't hurt yourself.

When do you have to get back

to the war?

Can I buy you dinner tonight?

Can I talk?

What do you do

in the coast guard?

Right now I have patrol

in New York Harbor.

Not glamorous, but...

it's not the army, Canada or jail.

Do you think they might

send you to Vietnam?

And the war is ending

pretty soon.

The war's been ending soon

for a long time.

It's just something

that I have to do.

I have one too.

One what?

A sense of destiny.

Okay, what's

your sense of destiny?

When I was little,

I wanted to be a nun.

It's a true story!

Well, what stopped you?

Puberty.

As it should.

Now I want...

a life of

unbelievable adventure...

and...

profligacy.

And, at the last

possible moment, sainthood.

I want a life that makes sense.

You...

still haven't told me how you got

the idea you wanted to be a senator.

That's not actually what I want.

I want to be...

the president.

Why are you smiling?

Because you mean it.

- You're still part of the same system.

- So what do I do, go to Canada, to jail?

Yes! I mean,

if it's what you believe in.

I think that's easy for you to say

because you can't be drafted.

That is so patronizing.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

But if I do those things...

either of those things...

I risk throwing away

everything that I've worked for.

This way, eventually...

I can make some real,

substantial changes...

without throwing away my life

on some ultimately meaningless gesture.

Sometimes meaningless gestures

are all we have.

You're very ambitious,

aren't you?

I'm afraid I am.

Be careful.

Ambition is...

the ice

on the lake of emotion.

Who said that?

I did.

Can I come up?

- Too fast.

- Oh, come on.

Can't we think of this

as a wartime romance?

Come on up, Fielding.

Oh, God.

Please don't let them

send you to Vietnam.

I'll be okay.

All right?

It's not that.

What?

If you go over...

you'll be getting shot at

by the people I want to win.

I don't want to have to choose

who to root for.

You still with us, Fielding?

I'm just thinking.

Do you realize what the governor

is offering here, Fielding?

It's a big jump from

the county prosecutor's office...

to the United States Congress.

What the hell are you

looking at out there?

He's thinking, Ed.

You don't want a snap decision,

do you?

I don't wanna spend all day

sitting here either.

Look, there's no problem.

Nothing to be scared of, kid.

You can't lose.

You know the last time a Democrat lost

a special election in this district?

Hell, I was still

going to high school.

What about Jerry Charmichael?

He hung himself.

One thing to be a fag, but he got caught

putting his boyfriend on the US payroll.

Anyway, he's announced his resignation.

That's his business.

Yours is:

Do you want this seat or not?

All right.

Now, tell me if there's

anything about you I don't know...

that maybe I ought to.

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Robert Dillon

Robert Dillon is a screenwriter and film producer. In 1976 he was nominated by the Writers Guild of America for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen for French Connection II. In 2001 he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay for Waking the Dead. Beginning his career in 1959, he has nearly fifty years of experience. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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